Staying Strong
by fiftyshadeofcullen
Summary: Lying To Love Sequel! Bella and Carlisle are still going strong 8 years after they find out their going to be parents again...but can they get through the problems their faced with? What with Edwards release from jail...and Alice trying to raise a child on her own after Jasper left...and worse still when one of their daughters dies in an accident?


**Authors notes; So here is the sequel to Lying To Love! Hope you enjoy it guys! Thank you for your ongoing support. Don't forget to review! :)**

'Mom...mom...wake up?'

I slowly began to open my eyes, in a hope that the past 5 months had been an awful nightmare and Carlisle was actually still alive. In front of me, knelt down on her knees and holding my old looking wrinkled hand was Claire.

'You can't sit here all the time. You need to do something. I'm sorry, but dad's...dad's not coming back mom and he wouldn't want you sitting here being miserable all the time. He'd want you to be happy, to remember all the good times you had together and he'd want us to be looking after you, but we cant when you're being like this' she told me straight and to the fact. I looked away from her and glanced out of the window, to the wooden swing set he had built when Jessica and Elizabeth were little. I remembered how he had pushed me on that swing in the summer whilst the girls laughed and shouted 'higher, higher daddy, push mommy higher' whilst I screamed pretending I was scared.

'I miss him so much Claire' I whispered, turning back to face her with a tear running down my face. She squeezed my hand gently and reassuringly. Telling me everything was going to be okay.

'I miss him too mom...we all do, but we've got to keep moving forward and know that he's watching over us. How about me and you go out somewhere? We'll go anywhere you want to go?' She promised.

'C...can we go to the...the meadow? I want to go into the meadow by myself. Would you stay in the car?' I asked her. She knew of mine and her dad's meadow, but had never been there before...none of the kids had. It was mine and Carlisle's place only and it was going to stay that way.

'Of course mom' she agreed. I knew she would, especially if it meant getting me out of the house. Once I had gotten ready, we set off in her car with me giving her the directions.

'Are you sure you want to go by yourself?' Claire asked as we pulled up at the front of the woods.

'Yes. I'll only be 10 minutes. I just need to see the meadow one last time' I nodded, before climbing out of the passenger seat and walking through the hidden trail to mine and Carlisle's secret place. My breath caught as soon as I saw it. It was just how I had remembered it. I hadn't been in this meadow for nearly 25 years. The last time I had been here was with Carlisle just before I accused Carlisle of an affair and before Edward's death. I began picking some of the purple flowers before placing them in the middle of the field.

'Carlisle, if you're here...if you can hear me. I love you sweetheart. I always will for as long as I live. I hope you're looking after Charlotte for us...and darling if Edward's with you...tell him...tell him, I'm sorry I guess and that I forgive him. I've got to go now. Claire is waiting in the car for me. I'll see you soon Carlisle. I miss you.' I whispered, looking up at the sky before walking out of the meadow. Taking one last look before walking to the car.

'Are you okay?' Claire asked, taking hold of my hand as I sat in the passenger seat.

'Yes. I'll be fine' I smiled reassuringly at her, leaning over and kissing her forehead.

'Mom...I know we've never been close and I've done and said some terrible things in the past that I'm not proud of and I know you hate me for all the things I've done but can you do something for me?' She sighed, obviously thinking back to some of the things she'd said to me.

'Claire, listen to me. I don't care what you've said in the past...it's in the past and I still love you. You will always be my baby girl. Yes, the things you said hurt me...really hurt me but you're still my daughter and I'll always be there for you. You and all of your siblings are my life, and I'll do anything for any of you no matter what you have done or may do and don't ever ever think that I hate you because I don't and I never will!' I began to lecture her.

'I should never have said those things though. They weren't true. You weren't to blame and the things I said about you and dad...no wonder the others hate me!' She began to cry.

'No, you shouldn't have said them but you were in a bad way. You were grieving over the loss of your sister. We knew you didn't mean them and you and Charlotte weren't only sisters, you were best friends too. You took it the worst out of all of your siblings because of your closeness and because you were there when she died. The others don't hate you at all.' I whispered, embracing her in a hug and holding her tightly.

'I love you mom...please don't give up' she cried on my shoulder.

'I love you too Claire bear and I won't. I'm not going anywhere any time soon. You're not getting rid of me that easily. Now what was it you wanted me to do?'

'You know yours and dads story you were writing?' She asked, looking up at me. I nodded. 'Please, finish it...for me, for the others? It'll keep you close to dad, help you to remember him?'

'I can't Claire. I'm sorry. You're dad never wanted me to start writing it in the first place. I don't see why I 'm writing it anyway. There's things in there me and your dad never want you and the others to find out. If you knew some of the stuff, it would kill you' I admitted.

'I don't want you to write it so I can read it. I want you to write it, so you can remember the good times, to help get over the grief. Trust me it'll help. I promise you, if you don't want us reading it once you've finished the books, I'll let you burn them or do whatever you want with them so we'll never know. I want you to do this for you not us.' She spoke.

'You promise me you won't make me let you read them when I've done and I can do whatever I want with them afterwards?' I asked her just to verify I had heard her correctly.

'Cross my heart and hope to die, I wont'

'Fine, I'll do it!' I promised her with a smile on my face.

And that is exactly what I did. As soon as I returned home, I sat down with my new red leather book that Claire brought for me, as I had filled the other one with _Lying To Love_...and I began writing...writing mine and Carlisle's story 8 years after both I and Alice discovered we were both prgnant...and here it is; _Staying Strong._


End file.
